On a myth of protest

Regardless of the epilogue this fall in Belgrade and Tirana, this year's protests have already accomplished one important thing: they have stripped the government of the illusion of legitimacy. They have exposed its fragility. Now the greatest danger to the government comes not from the change that can come from the squares, but from the change that has begun in the minds of citizens.

The protests in Belgrade and Tirana are the events that have definitely been the most important political development in our region this year. Against a bleak political backdrop where Vučić and Rama have cemented their control over democratic processes, a spontaneous civic movement turned into hope that united citizens beyond any ideological or party divide. Their political strength will soon be tested. In Belgrade this fall, elections will be held which, after two years of protests, will finally pit Vučić against the student list at the ballot box. In Tirana next week, 100 days will be marked since the start of the protests, and although the summer did its job by reducing participation in Tirana's squares, the expectations are that September will restore the massiveness of the protesters. Only time will tell what the epilogue of the protests will be, but it is now time to address a myth that continues to circulate in our public discourse.

Watching the protests in Belgrade and Tirana in real time, it was curious to see how the government's reaction to them has been very similar. One of those typical reactions has been to relativize the participation of citizens in these protests. Thus, the pro-government media in Belgrade and Tirana have continuously had headlines that talked about the "decline in the number of protesters" or "citizen fatigue". These messages have been further amplified every evening by analysts close to the government in television studios and social networks. And thus, as a result, a myth has arisen that the protests are dying, as citizen participation is decreasing.

This kind of myth suffers from a simplistic lens for viewing protests. As with many other things, this lens sees protests in a binary sense – one side wins, the other loses. Protests are actually much more complex than that. But let’s not get too deep into this discussion now and for the sake of exposing this myth let’s take it for granted that protests are decreasing. In fact, let’s go one step further – for the sake of argument let’s say we have an ominous scenario before us. In other words, in Serbia in the autumn elections the student list loses elections, while in Albania the protests cease next month.

Such a future in no way undermines the value and importance of protests. Although in the short term the protests may cease, in the long term they have set in motion irreversible chain changes in the molecular structure of the political body of Albanian and Serbian society. As in any other country, protests dismantle the legitimacy and aura of power in the medium term, while in the long term they change the political culture and norms, thus paving the way for radical political change. After each protest, the civic, political and social fiber is strengthened. Citizens gain the courage to speak out and protest, civil society organizations gain experience in mass organizing, the opposition gains the courage to confront the government, while the media and independent organizations are inspired to be better at their work.

Protests for democracy are like physical exercise for the body. Just as physical exercise is good for our bodies by pushing the muscles of the body to be healthier, protests are good for our democracy by pushing the entire society to a healthier political stage. Every protest creates new realities. Thus, every protest is another pedestal on which the entire society climbs higher and higher.

As with many things in life, we cultivate romantic and idyllic ideas about protests and political change. We expect that one day citizens will take to the streets, there will be a big celebration and abusive regimes will be removed from power, and thus democracy will be restored the next day. Life is much more complex than that, and history teaches us that if there is a golden rule, it is that we should not give up. Regardless of what the epilogue will be this autumn in Belgrade and Tirana, this year's protests have already achieved one important thing: they have stripped the government of the illusion of legitimacy. They have exposed their fragility. Now the greatest danger to the government in Belgrade and Tirana comes not from the change that can come to them from the streets, but from the change that has begun in the minds of the citizens.